If you want to sue the EPA you should be talking with the major truck companies. Its no secret that the DEF, DPF, and EGR systems in heavy trucks have been somewhat problematic. If you want to put a dollar value on the cost of the emissions systems on place to start is in equipment down time. Then you could extrapolate that into costs to industry from late loads, and then onto increased costs for the consumer. As an example, one small local grain hauling company has an older Pete and a new international Lonestar. Both have cummins engines, the Pete just had the engine rebuilt at close to 2 mill km and runs strong every day. In the eight months that they have had the Lonestar, its been back to the shop 11 times, 5 of those it drove there, 6 times it was towed in by a tow truck. (This is kind of funny, one time they were having it towed, the tow truck was late because it was having emission problems.) They figure that their new truck has been down close to 2 months, because of failed sensors, and other electronic problems directly related to the emissions systems. One trip to the shop was to have the turbo changed as it failed in the first week.
So if you look at that as an example, there is a definite loss of money for that company. They could probably tell you close to an exact dollar amount that has been lost. I know that this is maybe the exception to the rule, but it seems that there are a lot more trucks being towed down the highway these days than there was ten years ago. If you talk to the fleet maintenance managers at the larger companies, one of my college friends works for Bison as a mechanic, and he will say that if the system works its ok, when it doesn't, f***en nightmare. They are getting better, but they are still having issues with sensors failing, wires chaffing and shorting, coolers plugging and so on and so forth. I'm sure that they could probably put together a pretty detailed report of what percentage of trucks have had issues, there down time, and what it has cost there company.
In the age of Just in time deliveries what does it cost a grocery store if there shelves are bare because the truck didn't arrive in time? I'm sure they could come up with a dollar value in lost sales.
And for those of us who have the DEF equipped farm equipment, what does it cost to loose an after noon in the middle of harvest because a sensor failed, and you have to wait for your dealer to find if they have one or not?
Going after them because it makes you sick, your probably not going to get much attention from the media after the first few days. I figure if you were to sue them for lest say a billion dollars in lost revenue, That might get some attention for a week. Heck then maybe someone would mention that DEF is made from natural gas, and they have to drill gas wells that pollute the ground when they frac the wells, and they ship natural gas in pipelines that leak, to factories, that have emissions. Oh boy the hippies are going to have a field day with this one. Mind you I don't think some of these hippies would be happy until were naked, living outside, licking moss from a rock.
I do recall the guy leaving his semi idling & that cloud of smoke hanging in the air, full of particulates from the unburned fuel in the cold engine, & the smell. After they finished loading & he started to drive away, he slid off the trail & got stuck. It took about another hr. or so for my Dad to clear away all the snow & pull him out. I also do remember my Dad puking shortly after he pulled the guy out, complaining about the nauseating smell of the diesel exhaust. No DEF required!!!
